Our professional reviewers evaluate products and services independently, but Top Consumer Reviews may earn money when you click on the links on our pages. Learn more.

100 Lenders vs Upstart

To help you find the Best Personal Loans, TopConsumerReviews.com provides you with an in-depth comparison of 100 Lenders and Upstart.

To see ALL of our reviews for the Best Personal Loans, please Click Here

Are you in need of some cash? Historically, borrowers have had limited options for a personal loan. You could ask a family member, a friend, or find a personal finance company that offered fixed-rate loans, typically at exobrtantly high interest rates.

Today, however, finding a personal loan brings several more options to the table. While you can still ask a family member, or get a high-rate loan from a finance company, you can also consider using a social lending network. These networks, also called peer-to-peer loans, generally have much lower overhead and as a result can offer much lower interest rates. They're facilitated by professional companies
familiar with this type of lending,
to simplify things for all parties.

Personal Loan Reviews

In the last 10 years, 100 Lenders has helped more than 300,000 people apply for a loan. Although they do not fund personal loans directly, 100 Lenders connects applicants with a network of financial partners who do, in amounts ranging from $100 to $35,000.

100 Lenders carries an impressive 4.6/5 average rating across hundreds of customer reviews, and they are part of the Online Lenders Alliance, which requires its members to uphold ethical standards in their lending practices. Despite not having a rating with the Better Business Bureau, 100 Lenders does seem to be helping connect borrowers with personal loans in ways that are reputable and effective.

To apply for a loan using 100 Lenders' network, you will need to enter your basic information, such as your name, address, Social Security number, and how often you are paid by your employer. According to their site and many customer comments, this process can be accomplished in about two minutes, taking you to a list of loans offered by 100 Lenders' partners.

That is the extent of the detail that 100 Lenders provides with respect to loan fees and interest rates, because those depend entirely on the lenders themselves. We were unable to find even a range of possible APRs or sample processing fees, to determine if their partners' rates are competitive with other lenders in our review.

Looking at the fine print, we did find that residents of several states (Arkansas, Georgia, New York, Oregon, Washington, West Virginia, and Vermont) are not eligible to apply for personal loans using 100 Lenders. This information led us to discover that, while 100 Lenders accepts applications from people regardless of their credit score, their lending partners may offer a payday loan rather than a personal loan for
those
customers whose credit scores fall below a certain threshold. This may not make a difference, however, to some customers looking to meet short term cash needs.

For all these reasons, we give 100 Lenders a high rating, This could improve with a little more transparency on their partner's interest rates and application fees, which would allowing potential customers to get a better idea of their borrowing power without having to enter their personal information first.

Upstart is a peer-to-peer lending company founded by former Googlers. At first glance, the site is neat and includes finance-related images such as pie charts and percentage signs to emphasize their purpose, which is to help people achieve their financial goals. The fonts are large, allowing easy reading, very helpful since financial information can be overwhelming. The site allows one to process information while
pacing the reader through use of space and letter size.

Professional in look, the site however does not hope to impress in graphics or photos of people enjoying newfound financial freedom. Instead, the site uses facts and figures to communicate a serious, all-business tone. The only downside to this setup is that if a customer is not familiar with loans or borrowing lingo, they might be lost until they scroll to the bottom of the Home page to click on "Contact Us".

For customers who aren't sure where to begin, Upstart has a "Get Started" icon which asks them what they want to do. Upstart offers help with loan consolidation, paying off credit cards, paying medical bills, buying a car or other big purchases. Such a wide range of services is comforting to those seeking financial advice. The site also provides education to help you prepare for future financial decisions.

With respect to personal loans, Upstart is efficient. You can apply online and find out your rate within a few minutes. You're asked simple questions about your income and education history. Upstart then presents you with loan terms and options for payment. Once a customer agrees to the terms of the loan, funds are issued - sometimes, by the next business day. According to the site, "[the] average 3-year loan
on
Upstart will have an APR of 17% and 36 monthly payment of $31 per $1000 borrowed."

Upstart's reputation is very solid - you'll quickly see links to articles on prominent sites like Fox, Bloomberg, and other news agencies, along with testimonials from satisfied clients. Such details helped us gain more confidence in the success of this company's services.

We found the blog articles very helpful. With topics ranging from selecting health insurance to saving money on groceries, a person seeking financial security could benefit from the wisdom these articles offer. Unfortunately, this tool is found at the bottom of the Home page. The website would function more effectively if they included this option at the top of the page along with "Contact" and "Team"
information because it is on these pages where we found answers to our initial questions.

The website is adequate, but could definitely use changes to make it more user friendly. Overall, the site does not score high for looks but makes up for it with good intentions and success stories.

No matter where you borrow money from, before you get your next personal loan you should consider the following:

BBB rating. Does the lending company have a solid history of doing good business with its customers?

Loan size and rate. How much will the lending company offer? What interest rate do they charge their customers?

Loan application process. When applying for your personal loan, can it be completed online? Is the lending process easy and straightforward?

TopConsumerReviews.com has reviewed and ranked the best online personal loan providers available today. We hope this information helps you find the best loan at an affordable rate that meets your needs!

Well, guess what: There is a way to use Social Security as a loan of sorts. You just need to go about it ... be a lifetime of higher benefits in retirement. Maurie Backman is personal finance writer w...

Personal loans from friends, family and employers fall under common categories of debt that can be discharged in the case of bankruptcy. A discharge releases individual borrowers from the legal obliga...

Loan Champion call center support offers the personal attention some consumers prefer, leading to a much more satisfactory result and higher close ratios versus being left to online options alone. ABO...